Bought two posters depicting the Holy Trinity yesterday for my First Communion class. This first one, the “Old Testament Trinity Icon,” I know well and love. I especially love the idea of the Trinity’s quiet intervention, as mysterious guests, to set in motion a history which will culminate, as Christians believe, in the salvific coming of Christ.
I wondered, however, whether the symbolism would be a little too low-key — the circle of the table, the triangle formed by the three staffs of the travelers — for a group of second-graders to grasp readily. In particular I was concerned that they’d get the “Three Persons” part, but not the “One God” part. So I went looking for an image from sacred art which would spell that idea out a little more obviously. Here’s the second print I bought, the Holy Trinity of the “Austrian Masters.” I’d never seen this particular rendering before and don’t know much about it, but it had the kind of iconography I was looking for: the Three Persons superimposed on one another, occupying a single throne. I’d seen other images in which the three figures appear to wear one robe, but couldn’t find an affordable print to buy until I happened on this one.
At any rate, I hope they get here by the weekend so that I can put them up in the classroom for Sunday. My plan is to devote a wall to Heaven: the Holy Trinity surrounded by saints will be our project for All Saints.
Anyone else out there have a favorite image of the Trinity? I believe we discussed this in the comments of some earlier post, but I can’t now remember which one it was. Anyone else teaching Sunday School/CCD this year? Anyone else got good ideas I can crib?
Anyone? Anyone?
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